Roll of compacted mesh chain link fencing



Oct. 21, 1969 M. VERSTRAETE ROLL OF COMPACTED MESH CHAIN LINK FENCING Qriginal Filed Sept. 19. 1965 3,473,652 ROLL OF COIVIPACTED MESH CHAIN LINK FENCING Marcel Verstraete, Norwich, England, assignor to Trefileries Leon Bekaert, PVBA, Zwevegem, Belgium, a corporation of Belgium Original application Sept. 19, 1966, Ser. No. 580,424. Divided and this application June 26, 1968, Ser. No. 763,995

Int. Cl. Redd 85/64, 85/66, 85/67 lU.S. Cl. 20659 Claims ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE A roll of substantially rectangular or square mesh link fencing in which the meshing wire links are compressed into a close formation and then are rolled up to a densely wound compact roll.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION This is a division of co-pending application Ser. No. 580,424, filed Sept. 19, 1966.

The invention relates to a roll of substantially rectangular or square mesh wire link fencing.

The well-known square mesh wire link fencing is conventionally manufactured and wound into rolls of a certain diameter and weight. By the known process of winding, the wire mesh is kept straight and open and the roll is tightly wound. Obviously the outside diameter of the final roll cannot exceed a certain dimension for reasons of shipping and handling, but the length of fencing contained in one roll is thus limited. It is desirable to have a greater length of fencing in a single roll as long as the total weight thereof aliows handling of such roll without having an unwieldy large diameter.

The problem of winding of square mesh wire link fencing into compact rolls which contain a greater length of fencing, yet without having an excessive diameter, solved by this invention.

SUMMARY The invention consists in such novel features, construction arrangements and improvements as may be shown and described in connection with the product herein disclosed by way of example only and as illustrative of a preferred embodiment.

The chain link fencing is wound so as to form it into rolls in which the chain links are compressed or compacted in the longitudinal direction so as to condense the roll. The invention involved herein pertains to the product article in the form of a roll of compacted mesh chain link fencing.

The longitudinal compression above referred to is made possible by the fact that each successive row of links in a chain link fence can be pushed closer to an adjacent row so as to reduce the length of the fencing without increasing its thickness. This compression can be effected by hand manipulation in the process of winding up, but such hand manipulation is difficult and produces imperfect results. It is thus preferable to produce a machine-made roll of chain link fencing by utilizing a machine for winding up chain link fencing which compresses the fencing by a simple mechanical action instead of by hand manipulation. This is effected by mechanically feeding the fencing onto a travelling support and to controlling the speed of the support in relation to the speed at which the fencing is fed towards the support as to compress the fencing in the longitudinal direction and so wind it up into a condensed roll. A method and machine for such manufacturing or producing such a roll of such chain link fencing is disclosed in States Patent O the aforementioned co-pending application, in which provision is made for winding up chain link fencing by mechanically feeding the fencing onto a travelling support and so controlling the speed of the support in relation to the speed at which the fencing is fed towards the support as to compress the fencing in longitudinal direction and so wind it up into a condensed roll.

Such machine for winding up chain link fencing has a feed device arranged to feed the fencing onto the travelling support, the latter being designed to wind up the fencing and being arranged to be driven at a speed so controlled in relation to the speed at which the fencing is fed towards the feed device as to compress the fencing in the longitudinal direction and so cause it to be wound up onto a condensed roll. A travelling support is provided consisting of an endless band or a number of endless bands mounted side by side, each of which having an upper run extending between front and rear rollers, each band having a considerable amount of slack so that it bangs down between said front and rear rollers.

The advantages of the invention herein contemplated consist mainly of having a compact product which takes up less space and yet contains more material in the final package. Objects and further advantages of the invention will be set forth in part hereafter and in part will be obvious herefrom or may be learned by practicing the invention, the same being realized and attained by means of the instrumentalities and combinations pointed out in the appended claims.

It is an object of the present invention to provide a new kind of roll of square mesh chain link fencing.

Furthermore, it is an object of the invention to provide a machine-made roll of square mesh wire link fencing having the maximum possible compactness.

It is another object of the invention to provide a roll of wire mesh fencing in which more units of length of fencing is contained without increasing substantially the outside diameter thereof.

Yet another object of the invention is to provide a product, the shipping and handling of which is facilitated by its compactness.

A still further object of the invention is to provide a telescopingly condensed or compact roll of normally substantially rectangular square mesh links arranged in undulated or zig-zag fashion. Another object of the invention is to provide a roll of fencing comprising longitudinally telescoped links arranged close together whereby the length of the roll is reduced for compactness and transportation.

Various further and more specific objects, purposes, features and advantages will clearly appear from the detailed description given below taken in connection with the accompanying drawing which form part of this specification and illustrates merely by way of example one embodiment of the device of the invention.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING In the following description and in the claims, parts will be identified by specific means for convenience, but such names are intended to be as generic in their application to similar parts as the art will permit. Like reference characters denote like parts in the figures of the drawing, in which:

FIG. 1 shows in isometric projection a compacted roll of normally substantially square mesh wire link fencing;

FIG. 2 shows a portion of a substantially square mesh wire link fencing in the normal extended state thereof;

FIG. 3 shows the portion of the square mesh wire link fencing shown in FIG. 2 in the telescopingly compressed state thereof such as it is wound into the roll shown in FIG. 1; and

FIG. 4 is a detail of the upper layer of the roll shown in FIG. 1.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT Referring now in more detail to the drawing illustrating a preferred embodiment by which the invention may be realized, there is shown in FIG. 1 a roll 11 of mesh preferably wire link fencing, wherein the wire links which normally form substantially square mesh are telescopingly condensed together for attaining maximum possible compactness of roll 11.

Chain link fencing is produced by interweaving elongate elements, for example wires that have been bent in zig-zag fashion, each length of zig-zag wire or link being threaded across the width of the wire fencing into the previously threaded zig-zag wire link. This is shown in FIG. 2 wherein the zig-zag or undulated links 12a and 1217 are in the normal extended state as they appear in substantially square mesh, chain link fencing. The undulated or zig-zag transverse links 12a, 121) which are interconnected, looped or interlaced together at the arcuate portions 13b, 14a and attached at their both transverse ends, together constitute a row of chain links 15, the respective rows of chain links being interconnected at 13a, 14b, thus comprising chain link fencing; the rows of chain links 15 being longitudinally movable thereat with relation to each other. The straight sides or portions 130, 140 may be corrugated or wrinkled. These links may be suitably coated against corrosion or adverse weather conditions.

When the fencing is Wound into a roll in the extended state, it is obvious that a certain length of fencing can only be wound because otherwise the diameter of the roll would become too large for being shipped and handled. When, however, the rows of chain links, each row composed of component zig-zag wires or links 12a and 1217, are telescopingly condensed or shoved together, such as shown in FIG. 3, it is obvious that such condensed wire mesh will take up much less space, and when this condensed wire mesh is wound into roll 11, such roll constitutes a very compact product in which a maximum amount of units of length of fencing is put together in a minimum of space whereby the weight of such a compact roll will only constitute the limit of the eventual outside diameter thereof. Thus, bringing the links of each successive row of links closer together reduces the diameter of the roll for a given length of normally stretched fencing (FIG. 2), or stated differently, permits a greater number of layers to be wound on the roll without increasing the thickness of a comparable roll containing the same fencing in normally expanded condition. The roll in finished form preferably has its last or upper layer 11a stretched to its normal expanded length (FIG. 4) and may be tied with wire 16 so that it forms a tight skin round the roll.

While the invention has been described and illustrated with respect to a certain preferred example which gives satisfactory results, it will be understood by those skilled in the art after understanding the principle of the invention, that various other changes and modifications may be made without departing from the spirit and scope or the invention.

What is claimed is:

1. A roll of chain link fencing comprising transverse rows of chain links telescopingly connected in a direction longitudinally of the fencing whereby the links of each successive row of links are brought closer together reducing the diameter of the roll for a given length of normally stretched fencing.

2. A roll of chain link fencing according to claim I. each of said rows comprising a plurality of undulated link members, the undulations of one member of a row of chain links being interlaced with a member of an adjacent row of chain links.

3. A roll of chain link fencing according to claim 2. said plurality comprising a pair of link members attached together at their transverse ends.

4. A roll of chain link fencing according to claim 1. said roll having a top layer comprising a normally stretched portion of said fencing.

5. A roll of chain link fencing according to claim 2. said roll having a top layer comprising a normally stretched portion of said fencing.

6. A roll of chain link fencing comprising transverse rows of interconnected zig-zag chain links telescoped in a direction longitudinally of the fencing whereby the links of each successive row of links are brought closer together permitting a greater number of layers to be wound on the roll without increasing the thickness of a comparable roll containing the same fencing in normally expanded condition.

7. A roll of chain link fencing according to claim 6. each of said rows of chain links comprising a plurality of link members, the zig-zag portions of one member of .1 row of chain links being interlaced with a member of an adjacent row of chain links constituting said interconnections.

8. A roll of chain link fencing according to claim 7. said plurality comprising a pair of link members attached together at their transverse ends.

9. A roll of chain link fencing according to claim 6. said roll having a top layer comprising a normally stretched portion of said fencing.

10. A roll of chain link fencing according to claim 7. said roll having a top layer comprising a normally stretched portion of said fencing.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,087,511 2/1914 Scammell 206-59 1,756,396 4/1930 Spicer 206-59 2,839,187 6/1958 Norman et a1. 20659 MARTHA L. RICE, Primary Examiner US. Cl. X.R. 256-32 

